National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

If you have a disability, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) may be able to pay for the care and support you need to live an ordinary life and achieve your goals.

The NDIS is a new way of providing support for people with disability, their families and carers. The NDIS started in July 2013, with trials in several sites in WA managed by the WA State Government. Additional sites are being added over the next 5 years.

All WA sites are now managed by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

Find out:

Who is eligible for help

How to apply for support in WA

What are my rights under the NDIS

What help we can give.

Will I be eligible to participate in the NDIS?

If you are a person with a disability and want to join the NDIS, you need to meet the access requirements. To be eligible, you must:

At present, the NDIS is only available in some local government areas in WA. New areas are being added, and it is planned that by 2023, everyone across WA who is eligible to access the NDIS will be able to join. You can apply up to six months before the NDIS starts in your area.

unless you have assistance from other people, technology or equipment (other than common items, like glasses), or

even with that assistance, aides or equipment.

Your impairment affects your capacity for social and economic participation.

You are likely to require support under the NDIS for your lifetime.

It is possible to meet those requirements even if your impairment varies in intensity at different times (such as a chronic episodic impairment or condition).

Early intervention requirements

You may meet the early intervention requirements if you:

have an impairment or condition that is likely to be permanent (lifelong) and receiving supports now may reduce how much help you need in the future, or

are a child under six with a developmental delay that means you usually need more help with self-care, communication, learning or motor skills compared to other children of the same age, and you need an individually planned and coordinated plan for care, treatment or support over an extended period.

You must also show that the supports are most appropriately funded through the NDIS, and not through another service system (such as state health or education).

What type of support I can get from the NDIS?

The NDIA will assess your application and work out what help you need with your disability. This may include:

giving you access to community services and activities

giving you equipment, such as a wheelchair or communications device

helping you work out an individual plan for the support you will need in your daily life, and

treating your disability early, so you may need less support later in your life.

What are my rights under the NDIS?

If the Agency says you can get care and support to help with your disability, you have the right to:

get the reasonable and necessary supports you need to meet your goals

have choice and control over the way in which your supports are delivered, and

More information

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The information displayed on this page is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have a legal problem, you should
see a lawyer. Legal Aid Western Australia aims to provide information that is accurate, however does not accept responsibility for any errors or omissions in the
information provided on this page or incorporated into it by reference.